


The Plastic and the Glass of Apologies

by LE_Rae



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - High School, Best Friends, Bully to Friends, Bullying, Disabled Character, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, High School, Human Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Hurt/Comfort, LE_Rae, LGBTQ Character, Medical Conditions, Mystery, New Girl - Freeform, New School, Orphans, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Fandoms Not Mentioned in Tags, Rayllum, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 01:37:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17889101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LE_Rae/pseuds/LE_Rae
Summary: “Why don’t ye’ just go away? I’ve been horrible to ye’.”“Maybe because I keep finding things to apologise for but you won’t let me. And I find that strange so I want to know why.”Rayla was stunned. Her eyes looked as if they were about to pop out from their sockets, run and hide. But that wouldn’t happen. Not because it would be physically impossible, but because she was completely paralysed. They wouldn’t have a chance against the ice crusting over her and the frozen glaciers of her blood.But she managed to blink, then breathe, and soon she spoke, “well… apologise then. See what happens after that.”





	1. Crisp, Pine Blazers

**Author's Note:**

> A few quick notes you need to read before you read this:  
> 1\. This is set in the UK (my home country, yayyyyy!) because I have more experience with my own culture, social issues and politics. Plus, in this fandom, I could actually get away with this!  
> 2\. If I use temperatures, it’ll be in Celsius  
> 3\. Rayla’s dialect is very Scottish and I’ve only included a few types of abbreviations so you can still read it xD  
> 4\. I will be using British slang, terminology and phrasing so if you have any questions just ask me (or Urban Dictionary-it ya know)  
> 5\. I’ve made Rayla, Callum, Claudia, Soren all the same ages so they’re in the same year (Year 11 (or Sophomore year in America))  
> 6\. Ezran is in Year 7 (6th Grade but in England, he’d be in the first year of High School)  
> 7\. Because ‘The Dragon Prince’ doesn’t have many teenage characters, I’m going to include other characters from different fandoms as SIDE ONES so you can still read this if you don’t know who they are.  
> 8\. The main ship is Rayllum but there WILL be some Callum/Claudia for at least a little bit. (It’s all necessary my friends)  
> 9\. There will be NO SMUT OF ANY KIND but there will be frequent use of sexual jokes, hints and tendencies and could have the protentional to get a bit wild in theory (not practice)  
> 10\. Runaan and Rayla are brother and sister in this so I’ve taken his age down to his early twenties so he’s of legal age to take care of Rayla.  
> But other than that, please enjoy!

A pine coloured blazer and crisp, black trousers. A white shirt creased at the seams and a basil tie diagonally striped in thin, butter-coloured lines. New, dark leather shoes laced up tight around her feet, not a scuff, not a scratch, not even a splat of mud on the underneath.

And it all felt _too_ new.

Even her fading, white hair was pulled up in a ponytail a little too perfectly, no bumps along the top and nothing fraying from the bottom. Any other day, she’d have been glad to have it so easily done but she looked _too_ pristine.

Rayla hated it.

She bent over in a sigh and pulled out the bobble running her hands through the new knots over and over again. She looked back in the mirror. She took a good stare.

“Ugh! It still looks like _shet_!” She collapsed onto bed and hid her face in the sheets, groaning in frustration again.

“You know, just because you swear in an accent doesn’t mean you can still be excused?”

Rayla raised her face from the sheets and shot daggers at her brother. “ _Feck_ off.”

Runaan rolled his eyes while stepping over to the bed and yanking the sheets from beneath her.

“ _Ow_! Careful, ye’ll crease me’ uniform.” She smirked.

“Careful, _ye’ll_ break _me’_ floor.”

“Rude.”

“Anyway, it seems like you’ve already done a good job in messing up your uniform.”

“Not my fault it’s a shet uniform.”

“ _Rayla_.”

She rolled her eyes, picking herself off the floor and walking over towards her rucksack, “look, I'm sorry. It’s just all really strange. _And unfair_.”

“You had the choice of staying back home.”

“I… I know. Just sucks that I couldn’t have a good house _and_ a good school.”

“I know it may not be as good as your old school, but it’s also not the worst, Rae. Anyway, if we’re trying to find the silver lining here- at least you have me.” He walked over to her and ruffled up her hair even more.

“Oh, for god sake, Runaan! I wish I bloody-well didn’t! It’s already as messy as it is.” She turned towards the mirror silently wishing she’d just stuck with the ponytail, “and greasy.”

Runaan walked behind her, picking up all the sheets and dirty clothes whilst Rayla tried to take the wild beast on her head. He scoured the room with the wash basket mumbling under his breath about how much easier it would be if she’d just keep everything together. If Rayla heard, she didn’t show it.

Once he’d made it to the corner, he noticed a bag stuffed behind her wardrobe. A black plastic bag with pink handles and the companies brand _Uniform Direct_ printed across the front. And it wasn’t empty.

“Hey, Rae?”

“Mmm?”

“Why don’t you wear a skirt for once?”

Rayla turned around mid-plait and cocked her eyebrow, “what?”

He pulled out the contents of the bag, a murky green, tartan, uniform skirt.

Rayla looked down and back to the mirror, “I don’t have any tights.”

Runaan scoffed, “as if you need _tights_. It’s, like, twenty degrees out there!”

She stayed silent.

“Why’re you so bothered about your hair?”

She paused questioningly, “…I don’t know. Guess I want to try something different.”

“Then why not wear a skirt? That’d be a change.”

Rayla sighed tying off the plait’s end and dropping the hair, “too late now. We’d be late.”

“Fin. But at least take _some_ respect to hang them up.”

“Yeah, whatever. I’ll do it after school, I promise.”

Rayla turned to the door with her bag in hand, when she felt Runaan touch her shoulder, “Rayla? You know, it’s not a crime to admit you care about how you look?”

She smiled, “yeah, I know.”

* * *

 

Rayla had visited her new school once before. She was there for at least three hours but she never remembered anything. Well, that was a lie. She remembered where the reception door was after walking into it twice. But that was it.

It wouldn’t matter anyway. She’d convinced herself that the town of Katolis would never be like Xadia. Same with Katolis Academy. I mean, they couldn’t even come up with an interesting name for the place! At least Primal Academy had a different name to its _town_.

But Runaan was right, she did have the choice to stay with her parents. But she knew it’d be torture if he wasn’t there. It was selfish, but she did attempt to get him to stay. However, Katolis had things to offer that Xadia didn’t. Like, the town was a lot wealthier but cheaper rent and living prices. The scenery wasn’t even that bad if she was honest. But Xadia’s was better. It always would be.

Yet, despite all of this, no matter how bad things went, she knew that the choice of staying with her brother was the right one to make.

Rita Ora’s ‘Let You Love Me’ rang through the car’s speakers and Rayla could see Runaan’s fingers tapping to the beat and she chuckled into her hand resting against the window.

_Yeah_ , she thought, _I made the right choice._

They got a bit further down the road when they hit another set of traffic lights and the car stopped. Runaan was still tapping as the song came to a close and his eyes roamed around the steel box but he frowned once he rested on his sister’s wrist.

“Ray-”

“Go!” She called back as the lights turned green.

Runaan cleared his throat, a little red in the cheeks, as he released the break but shook off the mild embarrassment, “Rayla, where’s your splint?”

“At home.” She looked down and hid her hand in her purposefully-oversized sleeve.

“ _Rayla_.”

“Look, don’t worry ye’ wee noggin.” She tried to joke it off but the look on Runaan’s face didn’t move. “It doesn’t even hurt that bad today. I’ve got me’ cream anyways.”

“Mmm.” He hummed in disapproval and Rayla looked down.

He let the whir of the engine press on the silence for a bit until Rayla cracked unwillingly, “I… I just don’t want the other kids’ attention just yet. Especially if they realise I wear it for weeks at a time then not at all.”

“It’s just arthritis, Rae. It’s not like-”

“But it’s not, is it?!” She yelled.

Runaan took a deep breath, “don’t shout. I’m only trying to help.”

“I- I know I… I’m sorry. It’s just… there was no reason to bring that up _or_ play it off.”

Runaan turned into the school yard finding a space amongst the ever-growing sea of green blazers and school bags. He pulled on the break and the radio shut off.

They waited. For the other to move? For someone to speak? For something, _anything_ to happen?

“Can…” Ranaan started, “can you just trust that people won’t be monsters for at least once? Some of them want to help, and not all will push you away.”

Rayla stayed silent and was the first to jump out of the car.

It happened. She was about to walk into another life-chapter. Just after a fight with her brother though… she didn’t like the omens that came with that.

The car locked and Runaan stood next to her, resting a hand on her back and giving her a slight push forward.

He smiled lightly, “it’s okay _ye’ wee scaredy_.”

She chuckled under her breath and threw her arms around him tightly. Not the _best_ first impression on her future classmates to see her hugging, what they must have thought was, her dad- but screw it. She didn’t just need this, but so did Runaan.

When she finally let go, the siblings shared a look and waltzed through the gates.

The whispers were already happening. Some excited, some curious, some confused, some knowing- knowing that she was the new girl somebody knew about because they heard from someone else, who knew someone else who knew someone else that told someone else. Ugh. She could already feel the popular girls’ eyes on her, just waiting to grasp hold of a new member to their posse. _Ugh_.

This time, she actually rolled her eyes and pulled her bag back onto her shoulders strutting faster. Runaan cocked an amused brow. He knows he just told her to not think of everyone as monsters, but it was amusing how Rayla reacted to the bullshit school had to offer already.

And just like that, he knew she’d be just fine in the end. A warmth flooded his chest.

Rayla entered the reception first (managing not to walk into the door this time) already removing her bag and blazer because of the immensity of the heat. Runaan sauntered over to the desk answering a few basic questions to the plump woman in the blue swivel chair.

Rayla scanned the walls strung with decades of trophies, certificates and recent photos of teachers, principals and other staff members. She inspected the principle, _Mr. V. Mage_. Rayla decided he was a dick and moved onto the next picture.

Runaan took a piece of paper from the woman on the desk and signed his name at the bottom of some sheets.

“Rayla?” She came up to the desk giving a cheeky wave at the receptionist, “yeah?”

Runaan handed her a timetable and the woman at the desk spoke some conformation to her brother. Rayla scanned the sheet but something wasn’t quite right.

_I’m not called Callum-_

“Excuse me! Sorry, excuse me-”, she leaned around the desk to peer at the woman’s nametag, “Mrs. Spanner- _Spencer_! Er, I’ve got the wrong timetable.”

Mrs. Spencer ushered her to pass it over and moved the glasses back up her nose, “ah, yes. Sorry, I think we’ve sent yours off to Callum’s tutor. You could pop into his class to get it from him before the bell if you want.”

_Of course._

Rayla sighed, painting on a smile, “yeah, sure.”

Runaan placed the pen back down on the desk and turned to his sister, placing his hands on her shoulders, bending down to her level, “you’re gonna be fine, don’t worry.”

“I sure hope so.”

“You will be. It’s only six or so hours anyway.”

“I guess.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around him again.

He patted her on the back and the two parted, “go get ‘em tiger.”

Runaan turned away towards door but something stopped him going over the threshold, “just…”, he spoke with a practiced caution, “don’t get them _too_ hard.”

All she did was wink.

Rayla watched Runaan walk all the way to his car and still couldn’t tear her eyes away until he was completely out of sight, around the corner, not to be seen for the rest of her day. Her vision defocused from the stream of cars wearily pushing into the school, to the collection of students huddled into little groups around the yard. Then to the new Year 7’s. She’d forgotten about them. They’d be much more nervous than she was- but mind you, she wasn’t nervous. More fed-up.

She just needed to make some friends who weren’t complete and utter knob-heads and focus on her school work… well, the work that mattered to her. She couldn’t be bothered with lessons like IT, R.S and the stuff in PE she wasn’t any good at. She knew it was a bad headset but whenever she thought that, the common phrase, _‘fuck it!’_ , came to mind.

Someone had entered the office behind her, speaking something to Mrs. Spencer. Rayla didn’t pay much attention though. Some girls in the playground looked at her curiously, whispering to each other and giggling and suddenly she realised she’d been staring.

_Shit_.

“Rayla?” It was Mrs. Spencer.

Rayla turned to the sound of her name and noticed a boy stood there. Taller than her, with kind of messy brown hair. He carried a satchel instead of a rucksack with a blazer filled with badges, the reflection the sun almost blinded her. He was handsome. She’d give him that. But she’d also give him that he probably had a girlfriend who was a _bitch_.

That was just the vibe she got from this guy.

Probably because that’s the vibe she got from every pretty boy she came across but that’s irrelevant.

“This is Callum. The one you had the timetable mishap with.”

He gave a small wave with the hand he held a piece of paper with and extended it towards her, “I think this is yours.” He smiled. And, again, Rayla would give it to him, he also had a _good_ smile.

“Cheers. Miss. Madison over there has yers’ so I apologise that I can’t return the gift personally.”

He laughed, “that’s one hell of an accent you’ve got there.”

“Bet yer wee noddle on ‘tat h’one.” She winked, milking the Scottish drawl as far as she could. “Well, t’was nice meeting ye’, Callum but that,” she pointed to the bell on the wall, “is the sound of jail time calling, me’ friend. And to the devil, I shall answer.”

“Alright then.” He laughed a little nervously, turned on his heel with a wave and disappeared through the door.

Rayla rolled her eyes at the encounter and looked at her sheet for her tutor roo- _wait_.

“Hey!” She stomped, “I’m not Riley Moore!”

* * *

 

After around an hour of trying to sort out timetables, Rayla finally got one with her name printed finely on the dotted line. For the first three periods, everyone stayed in their tutors because the Year 7’s need touring around the school. Which wouldn’t have really have been that bad… if Rayla had someone to talk to. The teacher, Mr. Ahling, made her introduce herself to the group and some of the girls attempted to start conversation. But Rayla soon realised the type of girls they were. She could smell their perfume and see the Ted Baker bags and hear the bitchiness before they approached her.

The three introduced themselves as Chloe, Lyla and Sabrina. They began touching her hair and asking how she kept her teeth so white. So, of course, Rayla replied with, the only way to get white teeth was to eat the heart of ten wolves for breakfast.

_“Err… really?”_ Chloe asked with a twitch in her left eye.

Rayla laughed, _“no! Of course not.”_

The three shared a sigh.

_“You eat twelve hearts of orphaned children for **lunch**!”_

Needless to say, they backed away by that point.

There were a few lads in her year joking at the back of the class but when she listened in closely, they were talking about and sharing porn under the desks.

So, really? Rayla had _no_ chance. For the first two hours, she seated herself in front of Mr. Ahling listening to a Spotify playlist she’d made with her friends in Xadia. A while later, she found herself looking at photos of them too.

She missed them a lot. And it wasn’t until then that she realised how much she really did. She was in a new school, all alone, no friends and surrounded by bitches and their bachelors. And for some reason, she kind of expected it to stay like that.

Her hand hovered over the tab to the old group chat they had made years ago. It was on mute. Of course it was. She didn’t have the guts to leave them behind entirely. She just couldn’t bring herself to click the _Leave Conversation_ at the bottom of the profile list. She swore that she wouldn’t speak to them again after she’d left because she just wanted to get over Xadia as quickly as possible. And god was she stubborn when it came to that: keeping her word. But it was just _so hard_.

Her knuckles were white with how hard she gripped the phone in her hand and she blinked back the tears into nothing.

“Rayla?” She looked up to Mr. Ahling staring at her in concern. He seemed like a good guy, but she had to remember this was only the first day of the year, and that he could easily just be putting on a façade. “Are you alright?”

She cleared her throat and nodded, “yeah, yeah I'm fine.”

“Missing your old school?”

_What? I just said I was fine!_

“Nope. Just… just wondering what’s for lunch!” She lied but it seemed to fool him.

Mr. Ahling’s eyebrow quirked up, “oh? I can check on the system if you’d like?”

“Yeah, that’d be great thanks.”

They shared a smile and Ahling looked back to his computer, typing in something. Rayla looked back to her phone. The background was still of her friends and the same heavy feeling weighed in her chest again.

She needed a new background. That’d be the first step.

She tried a picture of her and Runaan but the sizing was wrong, then a picture of her old dog but that would have been just as sad.

_Guess a random pattern will do-_

“Roast beef and custard and sponge. Or pasta if you’re vegetarian.” Ahling called up.

Rayla smiled, “thanks.”

The next thing she did was search up was, _‘custard and sponge pudding’_. Took the picture of one with a face, and apply it to her Home Screen.

_Yeah. Thanks, Sir._

* * *

 

Break came all too slowly. Or, too fast if you thought about it. It wasn’t any better than tutor and she still had an hour of that left to go.

She sighed and stepped outside into the scolding summer heat, leaving her blazer and bag back in the classroom. She didn’t have anywhere to go at this free period, that much she’d established. She looked around and even the Year 7’s had friends and places to go to.

_Well, of course they did. Their friends came with them._ She mentally rolled her eyes.

After another song finished in the playlist she decided to just look for her English room and the PE block since they were the next lessons after tutor.

The school’s aesthetic wasn’t too bad really. Colours were nice. It wasn’t completely brick and mortar either, there were many naturalistic aspects of the place. There were random trees grown from sections of the pavement and flower beds on the sides of buildings. As she travelled through the school, from west to east, the buildings got newer. It was kind of like walking through time. Kind of peaceful. Well, as peaceful as it could get with the screaming children around her and giggles from the girls and slurs from the guys.

She found the PE block quite quickly but finding English took a bit of time. It wasn’t as obvious as the huge gym was. She really should have brought her bag with her. That had the map of the school in it.

_Goddammit._

“Hey, new girl.”

A voice. Behind her. She cringed. She hated that name already-

“New girl!” It called again.

“Ye’ know,” Rayla turned around to face the blonde voice, “I actually have a name?”

“Well, _duh_. But I don’t know it yet, do I?”

Rayla hated her already.

“Well, it’s Rayla. For yer’ information.”

“Ooh! I _love_ your accent! Say something!”

“… I just did?”

“Hah! Oh my god! That’s amazing!”

Rayla couldn’t resist the eyeroll.

“So, aren’t you gonna ask _my_ name?”

“…no?”

“Err… _rude_.”

“Why’re ye’ talking to me?”

“Err… maybe because I want to help you fit in?”

“ _Err…_ maybe I don’t want yer’ help?”

She gasped, “well, you’re a bitch.”

Rayla sighed exaggeratedly, “not as much as yous I can assure ye’!”

And with that, she turned on her heel and stormed away from the princess gasping and spluttering, questioning as to what just happened.

There were gasps around the grounds, giggles and also whispering as she strutted past them all. Rayla wasn’t in the mood to deal with (like she was ever) the plastic niceness that came with being a girl.

She just wanted to find English. That’s all.

But that was obviously too great of a wish for _another_ stopped her in her path.

She shot up her gaze from the floor to this girl’s green eyes. But… _wow_. They weren’t just _green_ , they were practically _emeralds_ fastened to her eye sockets. But that wasn’t the only stark shade in her colour pallet. _Jet black_ hair reaching down past her waste was well cut and had an extremely healthy demeanour.

Isn't wasn’t very often Rayla felt dominated but, for only a split second, this girl’s beauty was enough to do so.

“Can I help ye’?” Rayla took a step back and folded her arms across her chest.

Before the raven girl could talk, another boy stood next to her, much taller, well-built and one of those stereotypically, stupidly, good looking, guys. Just the standard sports fanatic, really. The casual face of every douchebag know to the secondary school race.

“Can I help ye’, _both_?” She repeated.

“Look, I don’t know why you’re so defensive. We only came over to say hi.” The girl cocked an eyebrow, almost _amused_. This confused Rayla. _Were… were they making fun of her?_

“Why ye’ look so amused?”

She cracked a smile, “it’s just that accent. It suits you.”

Rayla broke for just a second, no one’d ever really complimented her voice before. More like admired it but it was always like they were talking about another object and not her. She was shocked but recovered and came back just as hard.

“Ye’ poking fun?”

Her face split like she’d just told the Queen to kill herself, “w-what? N-no! Generally, you look really tough and Scottish people just… sound that way I guess!”

Rayla shouldn’t have enjoyed this, but she did. Way. Too. Much. So, she decided to and pushed a few more buttons to see what would happen, “what are ye’ suggesting? That all the haggis made us violent, aggressive monsters?”

“W-what?! That’s not what I said at all! Being tough is a _compliment_!”

“She’s just messing with you, Claudia.” The douche-look-alike put his hand on her shoulder almost like he was holding her back from something.

“Yer’ boyfriend’s right, lassie.”

Their faces both paled whiter than snow, it almost turned _green_. Both of their eyes sunk to pinheads and it seemed like they’d both dislocated their jaws with how wide they were hanging.

_Have I said something wrong?_

“H-he’s _my **brother**_!” Claudia screeched and instantly, Rayla’s face turned brighter than a ripe tomato.

_Yep. Definitely said something wrong._

“O-oh! It just- I just- Ye’ both look so different, ye’ know?! I-I thought-”

Rayla held her hands up in surrender, almost afraid the guy would hit her. He looked furious. Which made no sense since this was all just a misunderstanding, but Claudia looked amused again. Except, this time, with almost a devil’s fire kindling the emerald pools of her eyes.

“So, you’re saying you support incest?”

Rayla’s heart dropped like a boulder to her stomach, her stomach rising to her throat, “n-no! You and I both know that’s not what’s going on here!”

“The haggis made you an inbred too?”

Rayla didn’t answer this time and looked just as angry as the jerk-face towering over them.

“What do you think, Soren-”

_Soren._

“-think that Scotland’s not just the ‘ _laaand of t’e free, hoome of t’e braave’_ but also the land of… of _really_ , _really_ close families- if you know what I mean…”

Rayla charged forward to close in on Claudia’s face. She spoke in a low, hungry growl, “say that again, I _dare ye_ ’.”

“You heard me.” She sung back, “ _Brother fucker_.”

Rayla would have hit her right then and there had she not ducked out of the way just as the bell shattered through the playground chatter. She stood there. Completely immobilized by fury.

Claudia and Soren waltzed off in the sea of people until the raven head called behind her, “I didn’t catch your name!”

“I didn’t throw it!”


	2. Violet Sheets to a White Ceiling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayla's second day at Katolis, and she's already in trouble. Not just at school, but at home too.

Rayla stormed up the street not even bothering to throw her bag on her back, instead still having the straps swing from her forearms. She blew a wisp of hair from her eyes, like she was trying to _literally_ blow off steam from her skin (of which the boiling weather wasn’t helping).

She kicked the front door open to her house, dropping her blazer and school bag as soon as her feet met the oak flooring.

“Hey, Rae.” She heard Runaan’s voice from the kitchen table. She didn’t reply. Instead, she sauntered in and threw open the fridge door pulling out a carton of banana milk and stabbing in the straw a little too aggressively. But it was either the drink or her brother that got the blunt end of it all. Wasn’t a hard decision really.

“Rayla?”

She turned on her heel and threw herself into the chair opposite to him, “yeah?”

Runaan squinted his eyes curiously at her, taking in her appearance for a little too long, “…how was your first day?”

She flicked her straw, “fine.”

“That’s all I'm gonna get then?”

“Wasn’t very eventful today, is all.” She lied.

Runaan stared at her a bit longer but decided not to push and after some small talk, let her go to her room.

Rayla tried not to, but shut the door a little too hard. She realised then that her school bag was still in the hall so she couldn’t get on with English homework straight away. But did she really care at that point? No, was the answer.

She kicked off her shoes (which she really should have done at the door but hey-ho) and sprawled on top of her violet sheets. And just stared at the white of her ceiling.

Moments of the day passed by quickly. From the hot crossed bun she had at breakfast to the nice boy she got seated next to in English. He seemed really smart.

_Alex was his name, right?_

Maybe they could be friends. Who knows. But there was always the issue that he would already have his friends and they might not like her…

She sighed and squished her face into the dreamcatcher-printed pillow, then those _blasted_ siblings came to mind.

_Fuck them. Fuck them all!_

She decided to give her mattress a quick kick before groaning and dragging her lead-like limbs back out the door to collect her bag. But something caught her foot.

_Oh. The skirt._

She bent down to pick up the surprisingly smooth fabric and traced the thin lines of butter-yellow.

_Would I even look that bad?_

Then she noticed her mirror giving her a death glare… or just staring.

_What… what would I look like?_

She looked from the mirror to the skirt, skirt to the mirror again. And stupidly slowly as if she was going to set off a bomb, lowered it in front of her body. It came to just above her knees and, she wouldn’t lie, went really well with the tie. The two bright yellow accents complimenting each other. Heck, the blazer would make this look _really_ good.

These natural colours were nothing like her uniform in Xadia. And… she guessed that Katolis High’s uniform looked a lot nicer compared to the dull, cotton greys and plain blood-red tie of Primal Academy. That was a pro if she had to think of one.

The colours of her new uniform looked good on a pallet together, but… did they look nice on her?

She had to admit, the white hair dye didn’t really do it for her with these shades. _But what if…_

“ _Rayla you forgot_ \- oh. Sorry was I interrupting something?” Runaan peered in from behind her door trying to bite back the knowing grin twitching up his cheeks.

“W-what?! No! I-err- was just hanging up this dirty rag.” She turned away sharply to face away from his smug smile, and to hide the burning on her cheeks. “Ye’ know you should really learn to knock.”

“Mmm.” Runaan strolled in ignoring her statement, “anyway, you left your stuff in the hall. Thought you’d need it.” He stopped as his feet kicked the scattered shoes, “and please, just leave your shoes at the door. I don’t want dirt anywhere else.”

Rayla rolled her eyes with a smile on her lips closing the wardrobe door, “yeah, whatever, _Dad_.”

“I am technically your dad now. So, you have to listen to me, _ye’ wee Scott-ling_!”

She snorted, “ _Scott-ling_?”

“ _Yeah_ … I got nothing.” He rubbed his neck guiltily.

Rayla bent over in a fit of laughter, “just get out, ye’ great doofus!”

She ran forward shoving his back out the door, _just_ successfully.

“Okay! Okay!”

She slammed her door closed.

“Just get on with your homework, yeah?”

“Yeah, whatever floats your boat.” She yelled through her door, the smile plastered to her face not seeming to waver.

She heard the footsteps recede from her room and turned to the wooden desk beside it littered with random junk.

_Ugh, better get that out the way then._

* * *

 

The car journey to school the next day wasn’t as awkward as the day before. She lied this time about the splint, saying she had it in her bag. She had the cream if it got too bad anyway. It was only six or so hours, she didn’t need Runaan worrying.

He wished her a good day at school which she scoffed off with, _“you have a good day at work then.”_

_“Don’t joke.”_ He mock-scolded and drove away from the car park.

Rayla looked at her phone for the time. She had five minutes before tutor.

Maybe Mr. Ahling would let her in early?

It was worth a shot anyway. She proceeded past all the same groups she’d spotted the day before, this time though, most of them sneered and scowled.

_Probably saw my scene yesterday with that Claudia-girl. And the Chloe-girl. And that blonde one._

She felt a bristle of pride ruffle her feathers and picked up her head to walk faster. She was just about to round the corner when something collided with her. She wasn’t on the floor- but he was.

“I’m so sorry!” She offered down her hand to the boy.

_Hey, he looks kinda familiar…_

“No, it’s alright.” He laughed as he stood up, brushing his shaggy brown hair out of his face with his fingers-

_Wait._

But he spoke it first, “you’re that girl who had my timetable yesterday, right? Riley?”

Rayla laughed, “no, not _Riley_ : _Rayla_.”

He looked confused.

“Ye’ gave me the wrong timetable yesterday. _Riley Moore,_ isn’t even in our _year_.”

“O-oh! Well, sorry about that.” He rubbed his neck guiltily.

“Don’t worry. It’s not like I'm gonna feed you to the Scottish God’s.”

They both laughed that time. Rayla could get used to this. If luck really was on her side, this kid might be friends with Alex from English and she’d have definitely scored a friend group! But, of course, it wasn’t on her side. As she heard a familiar voice call from the crowd, “Callum!”

The same monster green eyes and black lead hair flowed to the side of the boy- _Callum_. Obviously.

For a moment, Rayla thought she could just slip away as the witch didn’t seem to notice her presence. But as soon as she spun away, the venom spilled.

“Oh. You again.” Claudia scowled. Rayla happily turned around to return the favour.

“Oh, Claudia! You’ve met Rayla?”

“ _Rayla_? Yes. We’ve met.” She snapped into a sick-sweet smile towards Callum, quickly returning that same look of amusement to Rayla, “how was your night then, _Rayla_? How’s your _brother-_ ”

“-we both know ye’ don’t actually care. So just cut to it.” Rayla snarled. She wasn’t going to pretend to be nice. That wasn’t her way of dealing with these things.

Callum at that point looked extremely confused and _defensive_. Well, to be fair, in his eyes, Rayla was the one to make an unneeded snarl at, who is obviously, someone he knows and could be potentially close to-

_Heh._ She’s probably that bitchy girlfriend Rayla thought he had as soon as she had met him. At that point in a conversation, she would usually try and play the ‘make a conversation uncomfortable for the enemy’ card but, making any remark about Claudia being with a guy would just give her leverage over the conversation with an ‘incest’ blow.

So, after what happened last time Rayla tried to assume the other girl’s love-life, she wasn’t going to risk the backfire that would come with the insult.

“What’s going on?” Callum interjected, looking between the girls for some kind of sign.

“ _She’s_ just being a _wee_ creep.” Claudia crossed her arms and cocked her hip.

“Whoa! Claudia-”

“What? _She’s_ the one that started this.” She pointed at Rayla accusingly and looked back to Callum almost daring him to say something else. But he didn’t.

_Right. Of course he didn’t. He had one chance to redeem things. Of course he’s just like the rest._

But Claudia didn’t stop there, as if she was trying to justify herself even further, “gets off on watching sibling-sex, don’t you?”

Rayla clenched her fists tighter, “ye’ better watch yourself.” She looked towards Callum too, “ _you_ too, Mr. Sorry-Ass.”

Callum frowned at her. She frowned back. She didn’t have time to deal the bitches and their bachelors- nor the bastards and they’re bachelorettes.

Claudia still watched on in amusement between the twos staring contest until she stepped forward between them and reached out to the small, white braid hanging solo in her hair. Rayla was too stunned to do anything at first, Claudia was just playing with it: admiring it like it was vintage pottery.

“Nice hair. I’ve never seen this colour _naturally_ anywhere.”

Rayla snatched back the dainty plait, “yeah? Well, now you have.”

Claudia hummed, still smiling soundly and looked back to Callum, “we better go find Soren. Come on.” She rested her hand on his shoulder and they turned together. But Callum… his eyes remained on the Scottish girl for a little longer. He almost looked hurt- but he wasn’t. Rayla knew that. He was probably just hateful. Like everyone else in that goddammed school was.

She rolled her eyes just as the bell rang, pulled her bag up higher and carried on to Mr. Ahling’s room.

* * *

 

Once she got to tutor, registration wasn’t the same as the day before. Mainly because once it got to Rayla’s name, Mr. Ahling read out a message for her.

“Rayla. Can you go to Pupil Services, please? You should probably take your bag just in case.”

She nodded and headed to the door leaving the quiet hum of, _‘oooo… Scotland’s in troubleee~’_ s, behind her.

If she was right, Pupil Services was that place where they dealt with kids so the principle didn’t have to. Of course.

_The lazy dickhead._

After wondering around for a bit trying to follow the seriously unhelpful map, she found herself in front of blazer-coloured doors and walked in.

“Excuse me, miss? You should really knock before coming in.” She looked like a prune. The woman behind the desk, she meant. She was thin, but had oceans of wrinkles tiding on her face with cakey makeup and thick, dyed blonde hair. It was like she’d been soaked in a bath for a lifetime.

_Prune_.

“So?” The talking prune looked at her like she was meant to do something obvious.

“Sorry?”

“Walk out and knock!”

Rayla didn’t answer and just turned on her heel and walked back out. Then she knocked. Again. And walked in.

“No!” She yelled,” you go out and wait for the green light to turn on!”

Rayla, once more, turned on her heel with a sigh opening the dammed door and watching it slowly fall back despite her intended force of closing it. Then she knocked. Again. Hard. The green light lit up and she stomped back inside the room.

“You should watch your attitude young lady.” Cake-face stated with an upturned nose.

Rayla crossed her arms, “do you’ want me to go out again?”

The woman peered over her glasses in warning but didn’t say anything of matter, “I’m guessing you’re Rayla?”

“The one and only.” She deadpanned.

“Hmmf.”

“I got sent down by me’ tutor. He said ye’ wanted to speak with me.”

“Yes. It has been brought to our attention that you have broken the uniform policy. Already.”

Rayla bit her lip. She kind of hoped to get away with her hair, she even lied to Runaan that the school allowed unnatural dye. Most people just thought it was bleach blonde anyway. But it had been coming out recently and she forgot to top it up before school started again. But she decided to play it off, anyway.

“I apologise, but I don’t have a clue ‘bout what yer’ sayin’.”

Prune looked unamused. “You’re hair.”

“What about it?”

She massaged her temples. Rayla shivered. “You’ve _dyed_ it.”

“nO…”, god, she was a terrible liar, “i-it’s just bleach blonde!”

Prune wasn’t buying it with an eye brow raised _(though you could barely see it through the wrinkles it hid und-)._

“…just… really… really blonde…”

_Dammit, Rayla._

Prune rose from her seat and stalked over to Rayla. She used her skeletal fingers to lift up a section of Rayla’s hair, jamming one of her false nails to the roots. To her true coloured hair.

Rayla winced.

She took a step backwards away from the teen and crossed her arms tapping the plastic extensions on her flabby skin.

“…natural ombre?” Rayla smiled guiltily.

“Stop lying, Rayla. It won’t get you anywhere.” She retook her seat behind her desk, “you have until tomorrow to get it out.”

 Rayla snapped from her smile to a frown, “tomorrow? I won’t have time to get an appointment!”

“Buy a remover from the shops. Look, I’m busy. I’ll make it Monday but if it’s not done by then, you’ll have a detention in here afterschool.”

Her eye twitched, but she took in a deep breath and let it go, “fine.”

Rayla left the office in a strop, attempting to slam the door closed but it didn’t work. Again.

“Screw your green button, flabby arms!” She yelled at the door and instantly regretted it, running down the hall as fast as she could.

* * *

 

“Rayla, why did you lie to me? You know I don’t mind your attitude, but lies? You know I don’t like dishonesty!”

Rayla followed the wood swirls in the oak table with her finger, not daring to make eye contact with her brother towering above her, stern, hands firmly on his hips.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

Rayla slumped further down in her chair, “I knew yer’d make me change it…”

“And, what? You didn’t think the school would?!”

Runaan massaged his temples in frustration.

“Please don’t do that. Ye’ look like Dad.” Rayla murmured, bringing her eyes back down to the table.

He stopped, but he didn’t apologise like he usually did, “you know? If you were that insecure about your hair colour, I would have just let you change it to a natural shade. Heck, even _real_ bleach blonde if you wanted! Just like I don’t make you wear a skirt even when I bought you one, I won’t _force_ you to go to school with you real hair.”

Things went silent. But Runaan wasn’t finished.

“I’m your brother. I’m your twenty-three-year-old brother taking care of you as a guardian. I’m meant to do the job of a _dad_ at twenty-three! And you know I don’t mind you living with me, I was the one to encourage it. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not as stressful enough as it is. And now the school think you’re breaking school rules under _my_ authority. It doesn’t just look bad on you, Rayla- but me too. In fact, more so.”

Rayla could feel something wet prick at her eyes but blinked it away, “I… I’m sorry, Runaan. I’m so sorry.”

Silence.

“Is there anything else you want to tell me that you’ve lied about?”

Rayla let her eyes look up and back down again repetitively.

“…I didn’t actually take me’ splint to school today.”

“I know. You left it on your desk.”

She winced.

“…but I’m glad you came out with that one by yourself. Thank yo-”

“No!” She stood up with so much force that her chair almost fell over, “don’t you _dare_ thank me! Yer’ right. About everythin’. I didn’t mean to make this so hard for ye’, I swear!” She placed a hand to her chest and looked back down again, “I’m not sure how, but I want to make it up to you. I’ll do anythin’.”

Runaan crossed his arms. He wasn’t smiling or happy with her by any means, but glad that she was trying to make an effort. “You could do a few things actually. If you really wanted to help.”

Rayla’s head pricked up on this, “anythin’ means anythin’.”

“Well, you can start by coming with me to the shop and buying something to sort your hair out.”

“Done.”

“And helping me by tidying up after yourself. Shoes at the door, dirty washing in the basket and bed made each morning. Take a little pride in yourself and the things you have, Rayla.”

She nodded.

“Most of all, trusting me and not lying. You have to tell me the _full_ truth when I want to know the truth. Not one of those half-truths you come up with all the time. And that doesn’t just mean things like this, but also to do with your arthritis and things that you’re worried about. It’d would make me less stressed if I knew you were okay or if you weren’t so I could do something about it.”

“Yeah, okay.” She smiled.

Runaan analysed her for a bit but seemed to reluctantly accept her word for it.

If he expected Rayla to trust him, he was going to have to learn to trust her too.

* * *

 

They drove to the local _Boots_ after that. The ride was quiet but calm, and each sibling kept to themselves. It wasn’t a very long ride and Rayla was stood in front of the dye shelves before she knew it. There were too many options. She didn’t know which one to go for.

Runaan was probably right: that going bleach blonde was the best step down from white. But… there was some part of her that wanted a change.

_‘New year, new me’_ , that was the phrase, right?

She didn’t know. She didn’t really care about any of those empowering quotes that everyone pretended to go by.

She sighed and snatched a box of _‘L’OREAL Extra Bleach Blonde’_ and made her way to the cashier. But a hand landed on her back just as she waited in the line behind a woman pushing a pram. Of course, it was Runaan.

“You know, it’s not a crime to care about how you look.”

In front of her, he held out a box of dye remover.

“Yeah, but that’s the problem. I care too much about how it looks normally.”

“No, you care too much about how _other people_ think it looks normally.”

She looked him in the eye, as if trying to search an ounce of joking. It wasn’t there. He was dead serious.

…and he was dead right.

_“Next please!”_

Rayla looked from the woman waiting at the desk, to Runaan, to the dye and back again.

“Change isn’t a crime either.” He spoke quickly ushering her up the line.

_“Miss?”_

Rayla did a quick scan again and, for some strange reason, obeying the command of some strange force, replaced the box in her hand with the one in Runaan’s. She ran up to the till confused and flustered.

The cashier scanned the box of remover pulling up the price on the till, “will that be all?”

Rayla stared long and hard at the box on the desk glancing back to her brother lurking in the background, “yeah. That’s all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think her natural hair colour is? xD 
> 
> This is the head canon I was talking about last time, this is the introduction to it. And, I know I mentioned that we wouldn’t get Rayllum interactions this chapter but… I’m weak? Okay? And I thought it would be easier to do it this way too.  
> Again, lay your thoughts on me! They made me so happy last time to see the attention this got! I don’t think I’ve got this much credit from a first chapter- ever! You have to be a writer to understand the immense feeling that causes :)  
> Thank you! Thank you all so much!
> 
> -L.E-Rae __x__


	3. Hair of a Thousand Suns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayla reveals her true hair colour to the world and it brings up bad memories. She makes a bad decision and fears she's lost the only person she can rely on- Runaan.

**_Trigger Warnings: Bullying and violence_ **

* * *

 

A pine coloured blazer and crisp, black trousers. A white shirt creased at the seams and a basil tie diagonally striped in thin, butter-coloured lines. Not so new, dark leather shoes laced up tight around her feet, a few scuffs, a scratch on the left, but no mud just yet.

Yet, she still felt new.

Because there was no faded white hair anymore. The only familiarity in the form of the solo braid on her left side. But it wasn’t dyed. She hadn’t seen it like this in _years_. Only in worn family photos from when she was too young to know what dye was or about how mean people could be about it.

Before it was white.

And it wasn’t anymore.

Instead of dainty snowflakes of Alaskan hills, the fire of a thousand suns raged with its shiny texture.

She’s forgotten how bright her hair was underneath all the fake colours. She was surprised that it still was after the years of chemical abuse it had been put through.

But she was right. Red hair definitely went better with her new uniform than the white.

It brought back the innocence of childhood in a way. But then with that, it also brought taunts and teases of the other kids.

When she was young in primary school, it wasn’t really that bad. In fact, she actually felt as if she was normal. People never really said anything. The only comment she really got was when her and her friend were deciding what Halloween outfits they wanted. They both wanted to be Mulan, but her friend made her be Merida because of the hair and the accent. And really, she didn’t mind that in the end. Merida would be her new favourite princess.

But once Year 7 hit. She got a bitter taste of what school really was and what it could become.

Some of them were okay. More annoying than anything else.

_‘Were your always ginger?’_

_‘Sun’s out, gingers in!’_

_‘Do you have… oh my god, Rachel! She has ginger brows and lashes!’_

_‘Do you know that you’re dying out?’_

_‘Are you heat resistant?’_

_‘I’ve never had a ginger friend before.’_

_‘Jesus. Your hair really does match your temper.’_

But they began to get meaner over time.

_‘Oi, Ginge!’_

_‘Hah! Do you think ginger pubes’d give your dick prickly heat?’_

_‘Alright, fire crotch?’_

_‘Hey, hey Ginge! Does the carpet match the curtains?’_

_‘Do you have a soul?’_

_‘Ginger minger!’_

_‘Can you smell sprouts?’_

_‘Ever wonder what it’d be like to fuck a ginger?’_

_‘Careful lads, she might burn you.’_

**_‘Inbred!’_ **

Those kinds of things went on for the entirety of Key Stage 3. Things got too far one day and she was forced to move schools for safety reasons. That’s how she ended up at Primal Academy. But her hair was brown then. She refused to start off there the same way she did at Kingston’s. But now… she was shaking.

Physically shaking.

Claudia had been calling her an inbred ever since she’d met her. And it didn’t hurt really. Because there was nothing to back it up but Rayla’s miss-choice in words. Except now… she wasn’t just the girl from Scotland.

She was the redhead from Scotland. The _inbred_.

_I’m not scared. I’m not scared. I’m not-_

There was a small knock at the door. “Rayla?”

She cleared her throat and blinked away some tears, “yeah. Come in.”

Runaan stepped into the room and his eyes popped. “Wow, Rae. You look… different.”

She rolled her eyes, “ _great_. If that’s the reaction I get from me’ brother, then that’s filled me with confidence for what everyone at school’s gonna think.”

“N-no! Rayla, you look different in a good way! I haven’t seen your real hair in so long I just froze!”

She rolled her eyes again, she knew she looked ridiculous.

“I should have just taken the damned blonde dye.”

Runaan stepped forward and placed his hand on his sisters shoulder, “look, Rae. You look amazing. You look like _you_. What… what those kids did to you back at Kingston’s… they were young and stupid. People grow.”

_He doesn’t know about Claudia, though._

“Yeah. They grow into _bastards_!”

“Hey.” He looked her sternly in the eyes, “what was we saying about trusting that all people aren’t monsters.”

“Yeah, not all of them are, but some of them can be right pricks.”

Runaan sighed, “maybe. But maybe you just need to have faith in the ones who aren’t.”

He walked out of the room after that to let her finish getting ready.

She groaned, stomping over to the end of her room to grab her school bag but as she bent down she slammed her head against her wardrobe.

“OW! Owowowowowowowow! OWWW!” She fell to the floor clutching her head in her hands. When her vision stopped its fuzzing, she noticed the door to the wardrobe now open, and an all too familiar skirt was now creased at the bottom with some old t-shirts.

“UGH! YOU CAN FUCK RIGHT OFF TOO!”

She yanked her bag up from the floor, her splint from her desk and ran all the way to the car with the devil’s fire charging her every move.

* * *

 

Arriving at school, despite it being the third day, was much scarier than the first. She was shaking this time and her wrist was flaring up already.

_Was she really that stressed?_

But she shook her head. Maybe nobody would notice her? No. That wouldn’t matter anyway. She was a redhead. Somebody would prod fun anyway. She just hoped she could get through the morning at least, without bumping into Claudia and Soren. That Callum kid too. He can piss off.

_‘You’re like who you live with’_ , it’s basically the same thing as, _‘you’re like the people you hang around with’_. She may have thought he was okay at the start but it was obvious where his loyalties lied.

Rayla looked to the floor and took in a deep breath, looked up at the sea of green blazers and took the first step forward.

It… was going okay so far. No one had recognised her. She kept her head down the whole way and at one point, swore she saw a glimpse of long, black hair in her peripheral vision but didn’t have to time to fully see, and bolted straight to her tutor.

Mr. Ahling’s door was different to the ones in the corridor. It was personalised with drawings and empowering quotes. And even _memes_. He had nerdy science memes on his door! What could be better than that?

Rayla knew that she should be cautious about trusting a teacher to always be nice, but this guy was hard not to love.

She gave the door three raps before hearing it open up. He paused for a second, scanning her over a few times, as if checking it was definitely her.

_Great. Even the teacher makes scene._

“Rayla? The bell hasn’t gone yet.”

“Yeah… I know. I was just wonderin’ if I could come in earlier?”

He cocked his eyebrow in a confused yet kind way but nodded, and opened the door wider.

She muttered in thanks under her breath, following him to where her seat was in front of his desk.

“So,” he started, “any reason you’d rather be in here with me than with your friends out there?”

_Heh. Friends. I like your humour Mr. Ahling._

“No, it’s just… a bit too hot.”

Rayla caught him shake his head turning back to his computer as if he already knew something she hadn’t said. He probably did. He’d have probably have seen many people like Rayla do these kinds of things before.

She applied some cream to her wrist and took her phone out of her bag to scroll through Instagram and the two went into silence. Nothing but the sound of his keyboard blended with the frequent laughter and screams radiating in from the open windows filled the silence.

The bell rang not a few minutes later and the corridors began to buzz with the same outdoor chatter. Rayla looked up at Mr. Ahling after a few moments as he stood from his seat to allow the class in. He gave a cheeky smile and an eye roll to her as he opened the door where the teenagers filtered through.

Yeah, this guy was hard not to love.

Registration ran by without any hitches and no one seemed to notice her hair. Or maybe just didn’t notice _her_ , but she was fine with that honestly. Especially considering the ‘sane-to-prick’ ratio in her specific tutor.

It was a Friday, so soon after, Ahling sent all the Year 11’s to assembly. However, Rayla froze.

_Shit! I forgot about that!_

The rest of her peers ambled out the door as Rayla attempted to remain in her seat. But, as nice as Ahling was, he also had a job to keep which Rayla understood. So, as he gave her a look of warning, she picked up her bag and left.

Maybe she could’ve hid it out in the loo’s? Gross, but it was that or the humiliation of her year all trapped together in a sweaty hall. So, she made her way to the old toilets down the corridor.

The blue door came into view as did Ms. Fareeda, her chemistry teacher. She was a fierce woman and even Rayla feared her a little so she immediately spun on her heal and ran over to the west hall.

She managed to make it just in time before the last person walked it.

No one was looking at her, which was good. No, not good. _Brilliant_.

She joined onto the row at the back and slumped into her seat reluctantly. The year’s first assembly was set in motion not a minute later.

She was already bored out of her _mind_ by the end of Vice Principle Opeli’s first sentence about how she hoped they all had a great summer, and decided to let her gaze wonder around the huge room.

Unfortunately, there were no ceiling tiles to count because it was just a block of white covering the roof. She let out a disappointed sigh with her head leant backwards to lean on the wall behind her. Then someone caught her eye. Next to her. She was pretty sure he was staring at her.

He had longish, brown hair-

_Oh no._

As if her head was restrained in a vice, she gently rotated it towards the boy to get a better look.

It was Callum.

_Oh, for fucks sake!_

She glared at him long and hard, but on the inside? She was panicking. It was like a ravenous storm of nerves was swallowing her whole as a _snack_ because it kept coming back for more of her sanity. He was just staring at her- wide-eyed. It was obvious he was looking at the hair, what else would he be bothered about? But, despite her murderous gaze, he didn’t snap his eyes away until she rolled hers.

_But why didn’t he pick fun? Probably leaving it to Claudia, the weakling._

But this never stopped her from blinking back tears of fear and her wrist almost burning beyond the point of being tolerable.

The assembly was as painful as watching paint dry, but somehow, it finally ended.

With her ever-growing luck, of course it was her row that had to stay behind to stack all the chairs.

Of course it was her row when her wrist felt as if it was going to drop off and of course this all had to be with the boy and his friends that have made joining Katolis a living hell for her already.

But she kept her head down. That was all she could do and she felt weak. Pathetic. And they hadn’t even begun to throw insults yet.

She was shaking, again. Perhaps she could get out of this because of her wrist? No, that would cause a scene…

_Just suck it up Rayla for god’s sake! It’s only three minutes, max._

So, she took a breath, shook her head and looked up for the stack furthest away from Callum and his friends.

She’d loaded a few with Alex from English and his friend’s John and Eliza which was thankful. They were the first to comment about her hair. They liked it, said it really made her skin glow. And on the inside, a warmth grew. Not just because of the compliment, but it seemed that Alex’s friends liked her.

_Maybe this is my chance_.

They were all dismissed just as the late bell sounded so Alex said his goodbyes as his tutor was all the way on the humanities floor above English. So, Rayla just picked her bag up from the cloakroom next to the hall, checking that she had everything before she left.

But there was a hand on her shoulder.

She spun around hastily and to her surprise… it was Callum.

Then, that surprise turned into fear which turned quickly to anger. She shoved his hand off her shoulder and crossed her arms tightly across her chest.

“And what do _you_ want Mr. Sorry-Ass.”

“W-why do you keep calling me that?”

“Don’t answer me with another question. What do you ye’ want?”

“I… I just wanted to apologise for staring at you in assembly.”

Rayla rolled her eyes, “and you ask why I call you a Sorry-Ass.”

“I-”

She turned on her heel and stormed out the door, but never heard it close again. Instead, there were footsteps running up behind her…

“Wait! I-”

“Oh, for fecks sake, do you’ not take the hint that I don’t want to talk to ye’?”

He stuttered but Rayla would never let him take the last word, “just stay away and tell your friends to do that too! I can’t be bothered!”

She stormed off through the courtyard and like stream rose from a kettle, her ears seemed to have that effect too.

She stomped all the way to science, collecting the first few insults of the day.

_“Oi, the fire-head’s caught fire!”_

_“You gonna burn anyone with that temper, Ginge?”_

“Yeah, _you_ if you’re not careful, lazy-eye!” She snapped and continued all the way to Chemistry.

* * *

 

Things went that way most of the day. Either with the annoying questions or the snarky remarks. She didn’t see Claudia or Callum at break…

…mainly because she hid it out in the library.

She had just had English before lunch, so Alex was walking with her out of lesson after catching up with John, Eliza and two others; Laf and Herc. They really did seem like a fun group and she basically _yearned_ for them to be her friends once they had left for language club. Rayla didn’t want to seem desperate, so walked to lunch alone instead.

They were let in after around twenty minutes (mainly due to some knob-heads backchatting the dinner lady). Rayla grabbed a tray of fish and chips and sat by herself in the corner of the hall.

_God, how sad can you even look?_

Rayla never really minded the fact that she was alone. It was always when everyone else could see it that she would disappear inside of herself. It was such an embarrassing sight to see when she didn’t even have someone to sit with while she ate. And now, it was even worse with her new style choice.

_“Oi, Ginge is sat alone.”_

_“Ginger-Minger!”_

She rolled her eyes and threw a bean-soaked chip at the table.

The food was nice at Katolis. That and the uniforms were its highlights she guessed. So, as she through the chip, she felt a little sad at what a waste good food had to be used for.

She was about to stab another piece of fish when two, pale hands landed in front of her. Rayla looked up but the slime-green eyes spoke for themselves.

“So, you’re still Rayla?”

Rayla scowled, “no, I'm called Claudia.”

The raven haired-girl took a seat opposite her, at that point Rayla realised that it wasn’t just Claudia, but her brother and Callum too.

Soren shared the same look of amusement as his sister but Callum had on his signature, _‘I’m-sorry-but-I-won’t-do-anything-about-it’_ , look.

_Mr. Sorry-Ass._

“No… see, for starters, our hair’s a little different.” She smiled, stealing a chip from Rayla’s bowl, “and I don’t smell of sprouts.”

Rayla winced.         

“-you know what, Claudia? What do they say about redheads?” Soren snaked his arm around Rayla’s shoulder.

“What?” She gave a sly, side wards glance towards the Scottish girl, “that they’re **_inbreds_**?”

Her wrist throbbed with every heartbeat. It seemed as if all the blood draining from her face was shot to her wrist. And there was nothing she could do about it. She needed an icepack then and there.

She just needed to _get out_.

A sick smile landed itself on Claudia’s lips, like she was watching a bird in a cage trying to escape and finding a vile pleasure from it. “Have we struck a nerve, Ginge?”

“Can’t accept you have _no brains_.” Soren looked proud of himself but all three of them gave him an _‘are you serious?’_ look, even Rayla was kind of disappointed that _that_ was all he could come up with.

“Seems like yer’ the one with a few cogs loose, laddie.” She pulled up her own amused smile, in the way Claudia usually looked at her.

He gasped, “say that again!”

But before Rayla could taunt, Claudia bluntly cut in, “inbred doesn’t just mean stupid, Soren.” She massaged her temples, “it means that you’re an offspring of two parents who are closely related genetically. Like a brother and sister creating a child makes an _inbred_ and gingers are _renowned_ for that-”

“That’s not true!” Rayla yelled and suddenly she had the attention of the whole hall. She could see a dinner lady walk towards them but she didn’t care. Those nerves that had been gnawing at her all day had finally split into something more dangerous. She was red-hot with anger.

“Why are ye’ even doin’ this to me?” She looked to them all individually. “What have I ever done to yous?”

Claudia looked a little taken back, “you were rude.”

“ _Rude_.” She scoffed, “yeah, rude not _cruel_.”

_“Excuse me, can you sit down plea-”_

But Rayla didn’t listen to the woman stood next to her. “What? Do just find some sick fun in taunting me because of what? I made a mistake of words and now yer’ going to hold it to me for life-”

_“-please, can you sit dow-”_

“-but yer’ taking it too far! If anyone’s the dumb inbred here, it’s _you_. For pickin’ on me for no reason.”

_“You! Go to-”_

This got Soren _angry_. He stood up, slamming his fists on the table, “DON’T YOU DARE SAY THAT TO HER!”

“Oh?! So yer’ all allowed to say it to me but I’m not to you?!”

He thought about it for a second, “yes.”

_“Right! I’m off to get a teacher!”_

Rayla raised her eyebrows in disbelief about what she was hearing.

“Because…”, he stepped closer to her, “what are you gonna do about it?”

“Well what will _you_ do about it? Hit me?”

“No. I don’t hit girls.” He said in a low, dangerous voice.

“Oh?” Rayla gripped his tie and pulled him closer, “what a shame we don’t have the same _morals_.”

Her fist flew through air before anyone could see it coming. They all heard a crack, and saw the blood seeping from between the gaps in Soren’s fingers before they saw Rayla being dragged out the hall by the prune-woman from the day before. Rayla could have probably ripped free if she wanted to, but she was still in shock.

When she was younger, before the arthritis, Rayla was into all kinds of attack sports. She was a red belt in karate, black belt in martial arts, her regions best fencer and had done boxing once a week since she was three… but she’d never actually hit someone before. Violently, anyway.

They all said it would’ve happened eventually. The snappy redhead would soon transfer her words through fists. But after all Runaan had taught her about the sports, she knew that wasn’t the right choice. He only taught her everything after he made her promise that she would only use her gifts in a lesson or a gym.

And now she had let him down. Again. Two days in a row.

She felt the tears prick at her eyes and, for the first time in years, finally let one loose.

* * *

 

“Why?”

Rayla didn’t have the luxury of tracing lines in the table this time. Runaan was stood at the door as soon as she walked in. And he looked _furious_.

“ _I can’t believe you Rayla!_ Why?! I thought the talk about not lying to me last night _meant_ something!”

“I… I didn’t lie because ye’ never asked me…”

“No. I said no lying or _half-truths_. Not telling me something is the exact same thing as lying!”

“But he was being a _dick_! The bastard and his bitch-sister was calling me an _inbred_! I should’ve squared him one right where it hurts.”

“No. You shouldn’t have. You shouldn’t have done _anything_ but tell me what was going on and _I_ would sort it out! I’m your guardian! I’m meant to deal with these things! Just because I feed you and put a roof over your head, doesn’t mean that’s all I do! _I_ am meant to take care of you! _You_ are meant to make my life easier by not having me guess over and over again about what’s going on with you!”

“Okay! Look, I’m sorry, alright?!”

“No. Save your plastic apology. I need to see it to believe it because it’s obvious you saying you were sorry last night was only another lie. You’ve not just betrayed my trust by lying to me, but also because you used your physical skills to get your point across, and not your words. I don’t want to see the things I taught make you into something that… that your parents were.”

Rayla bit her lip hard. She hated when Runaan brought up things like that. It was low. But… she guessed it was the only way he could ever get her to listen properly. But she still hated being compared to them. And hated it whenever he had to go and bring them up.

“There was no need to bring up my parents. I’m _not_ them. And I never will be.”

“I know. But I don’t want to see go down that path, Rae. You’re a witty girl. You don’t need your fists.”

“My god, Runaan! It was just one fight! It’s not like I’m packing up tomorrow to join the Scottish mafia!”

“Don’t you _dare_ call it _‘just one fight’_. You broke that boys nose _and_ scored yourself two days in isolation!”

She knew she shouldn’t have snapped. But she never liked to admit she was in the wrong with bad things.

_She was_ in the wrong. Runaan wasn’t.

 

But she couldn’t apologise. He wouldn’t let her.

 

The whole house was suffocated in tension. She wanted to say something more than anything, but new that she’d only make things worse.

_Like I always do._

Runaan turned away from his sister like he couldn’t bear to look at her anymore.

“You’re grounded until I deem it not.”

Rayla closed her eyes and barely nodded.

_It’s not like I’ve got anywhere to go._

She watched Runaan’s feet move away from her in the top of her vision. But he stopped for a second, like he was contemplating saying something else. Rayla looked at him expectantly and they just stared for a few moments. His eyes looked so tired and worn and… _hurt_. Rayla felt pain tear through her chest like she’d just been stabbed.

_What have I done?_

Runaan was the first to break off the eye contact and he looked to the floor as he left the hallway.

Rayla was left alone. _Truly_ alone this time. But she picked up her bag and left her shoes neatly near the door, stumbling like a guilty child towards her bedroom. Her hand landed on the door handle just as she hurt a voice mutter something quietly behind her,

“I just wish you’d give this new school a chance instead of jumping to conclusions like you always do.”

Rayla swallowed the deeper agony in her chest, and walked in her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof.  
> Anyone else stan red-haired Rayla or is that just me? 
> 
> I’m not too sure about the quality of this chapter… but all I can hope is that you enjoyed it!
> 
> In England, people have a weird need to tease gingers. They are bullied relentlessly so if this feels over exaggerated, trust me. These slurs are real and accurate (yes, even the sprouts one for some strange reason). Claudia and Soren just took them to a new level is all.
> 
> But please leave your reviews! They make my day so much better and encourage me to write even further!
> 
> -L.E-Rae __x__
> 
> NOTE: School will start tomorrow so updates won’t be every day. I don’t have a timetable yet because I struggle to stick to them so I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep xx

**Author's Note:**

> Oof. Look, before y’all yell at me, I know I’ve turned our beloved siblings into bullies this chapter, but it’s all necessary! And, to be fair, if someone bites Claudia, let’s face it, she’ll bite back twice as hard ;) And Rayla was being a little shit this chapter sooo… kinda had it coming.  
> There wasn’t too much Rayllum (or many interactions) this chapter but this is a slow burn. I promise there will be interactions in Chapter 3 (coz chapter 2 is more of a build-up and introducing a head canon that I’ve come up with for Rayla).  
> But tell me what you think about this idea! It’s not original, I know. But I’ve never written a High School Romance before so this is all new to me (I also noticed that almost no one has most a proper high school AU story (not one-shot) which shocked me).  
> But, yeah.  
> Thank you so much for reading!  
> P.S: I love reading through this and yelling Rayla's accent across the house so much xD  
> -L.E-Rae __x__


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